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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: craft · band · content · pitcher · stick · toast · hand · row

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. content — the amount
  3. toast — bread
  4. hand — help
  5. craft — a skill
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. band — a music group
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. row — to paddle
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. content — happy
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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