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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 · dip · band · bark · hand · swing · saw · rash

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. craft — boats
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — to shout
  7. swing — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. saw — the tool
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rash — hasty
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. band — a ring
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. dip — to sink
  19. swing — to play on
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hand — help
  24. dip — a sauce

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