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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: court · can · arm · bark · mine · rush · craft · squash

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. squash — to crush
  6. court — of law
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bark — to shout
  11. squash — the sport
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. court — for sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. can — a tin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rush — hurry
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mine — an explosive

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