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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 120 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: rush · craft · spring · hand · trunk · shower · key · board

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. key — the most important part
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. board — to get on
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hand — in cards
  14. board — a committee
  15. key — in music
  16. craft — boats
  17. key — for a lock
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. shower — rain
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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