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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 116 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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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 · band · bear · race · kid · cue · ball · fork

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. kid — child
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cue — a signal
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. race — a contest
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cue — a hint
  13. craft — boats
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. band — a ring
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a music group
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ball — a round shape

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