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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: arm · band · wound · rock · craft · fine · bat · shower

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. shower — to wash
  3. craft — boats
  4. fine — high quality
  5. shower — rain
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a music group
  8. bat — the animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — an injury
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fine — all right
  19. band — a ring
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rock — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rock — a stone
  24. arm — a part of something

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