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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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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: perch · press · kid · rash · craft · fine · band · wound

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. press — a publisher
  3. band — a ring
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kid — child
  6. craft — boats
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. press — to push
  10. rash — a series
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fine — all right
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. craft — a skill
  18. fine — high quality
  19. band — a music group
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rash — hasty
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wound — an injury

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