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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 · rule · shower · hand · bay · bank · clip · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rule — government
  4. bank — of a river
  5. shower — rain
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. hand — in cards
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bank — for money
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rule — a law
  14. clip — a video
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — help

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