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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
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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: band · craft · kick · snap · season · mouse · rash · date

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rash — hasty
  4. season — of the year
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. date — the fruit
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. snap — to click
  19. craft — boats
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kick — in football
  22. season — in sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. craft — a skill

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