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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: band · bark · pound · rush · leaves · net · sharp · craft

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. net — in sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. craft — boats
  7. net — for catching
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rush — hurry
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. craft — a skill
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bark — to shout
  22. band — a ring
  23. net — after costs
  24. band — a music group

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