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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 120 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: hand · fork · mark · craft · leaves · band · shower · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mark — a grade
  4. band — a music group
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. shower — to wash
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. hand — help
  18. band — a ring
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. shower — rain
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mark — a trace

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