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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · mine · bank · ball · bat · craft · scale · kid

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. craft — a skill
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kid — child
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. kid — to tease
  10. scale — in music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — for digging
  18. ball — a great time
  19. craft — boats
  20. bank — for money
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bank — of a river

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