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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: fan · fine · band · craft · prune · perch · nail · saw

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. craft — a skill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. band — a ring
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. band — a music group
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fine — high quality
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — boats

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