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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: arm · craft · bat · key · spring · fine · band · rush

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. band — a music group
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. spring — the season
  9. band — a ring
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. fine — all right
  19. bat — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. craft — boats
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fine — high quality
  24. craft — a skill

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