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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · craft · temple · hand · snap · bat · cabinet · band

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hand — help
  6. rock — music
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. snap — to click
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. craft — boats
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com