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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.

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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: swing · craft · band · squash · spring · cap · kid · mate

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cap — a lid
  4. swing — music
  5. spring — of water
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — to crush
  9. kid — to tease
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mate — to breed
  12. craft — boats
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cap — a hat
  15. band — a ring
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — a coil
  19. swing — to play on
  20. kid — child
  21. spring — the season
  22. cap — of ice
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. squash — the sport

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