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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: mug · rock · craft · shower · band · bat · field · arm

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mug — a cup
  3. field — farmland
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — boats
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. field — for sport
  8. craft — a skill
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. band — a music group
  11. field — a subject
  12. bat — the animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mug — to rob
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mug — a face
  21. rock — music
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. band — a ring

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