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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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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: wave · craft · rule · last · band · suit · bat · bowl

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. band — a ring
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rule — government
  5. band — a music group
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — finally
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. craft — a skill
  13. last — final
  14. craft — boats
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rule — a law
  18. last — to go on
  19. suit — to fit
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. suit — clothes

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