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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 116 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: craft · kid · lean · ruler · wound · rock · fan · spring

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. craft — boats
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kid — child
  6. wound — an injury
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spring — of water
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. spring — the season

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