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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: game · dip · craft · spring · band · kick · shower · saw

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. craft — boats
  5. dip — to sink
  6. shower — rain
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. game — wild animals
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — the season
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spring — a coil
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kick — in football
  17. game — a match
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. shower — to wash
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spring — of water
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — a handicraft

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