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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · spring · suit · squash · last · track · arm · craft

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. suit — clothes
  4. spring — the season
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. suit — in cards
  7. craft — a skill
  8. last — to go on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — a song
  13. kid — child
  14. last — final
  15. squash — to crush
  16. track — to keep track
  17. craft — boats
  18. squash — the sport
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. track — a path
  21. suit — to fit
  22. last — finally
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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