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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 · row · mouse · ball · spring · wave · swing · kid

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kid — to tease
  6. swing — to play on
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kid — child
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. row — a line

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