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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.

Make a worksheet

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: craft · squash · cabinet · band · plane · mine · cap · bark

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. craft — boats
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cap — a hat
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — of ice
  14. band — a ring
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. band — a music group
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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