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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: bat · band · rash · wake · craft · deal · face · drill

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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. deal — to handle
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. band — a ring
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. drill — army training
  14. face — to confront
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bat — in an idiom

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