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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: craft · foot · last · rest · band · cold · bowl · rush

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. band — a ring
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cold — an illness
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. last — final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. band — a music group
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cold — not warm
  18. last — finally
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — hurry
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — to go on
  24. rush — a thrill

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