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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: row · craft · dip · mine · band · patient · can · snap

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. band — a music group
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. band — a ring
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. craft — a skill
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. can — a tin
  18. snap — to click
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. craft — boats
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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