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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · spell · craft · object · fan · season · wind · kid

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. object — an aim
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. craft — boats
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — to tease
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — to protest
  20. can — to be able to
  21. object — a thing
  22. spell — letters
  23. kid — child
  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