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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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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: stick · can · craft · kid · wound · shower · arm · cap

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cap — a hat
  4. craft — boats
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. craft — a skill
  7. can — a tin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. shower — to wash
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. shower — rain
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — to be able to
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — child
  20. can — a tin
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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