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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: hand · band · dip · snap · pitcher · wind · racket · craft

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. craft — boats
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. snap — to click
  16. hand — help
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a music group
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — in cards
  24. craft — a skill

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