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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: band · rest · pound · snap · spell · court · craft · rock

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rock — music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. spell — magic
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rock — a stone
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spell — a short time
  11. band — a music group
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. spell — letters
  17. court — for sport
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. snap — to click
  21. rest — a break
  22. band — a ring
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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