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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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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: fan · craft · nail · bat · cabinet · kid · perch · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. craft — boats
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kid — to tease
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kid — child
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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