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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 · pitch · hand · wave · arm · bear · band · lean

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hand — help
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a ring
  6. bear — the animal
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lean — thin
  13. bear — the animal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitch — a sports field

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