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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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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: chest · fall · craft · race · hide · band · rock · pitcher

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rock — music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chest — a box
  9. fall — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. race — humankind
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. race — a contest
  24. chest — of your body

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