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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: mine · craft · swing · bowl · board · wind · nail · hand

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. board — to get on
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wind — moving air
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wind — moving air
  14. swing — to play on
  15. board — a committee
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. swing — music

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