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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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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: cap · cell · craft · hand · band · snap · foot · lash

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cell — in biology
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hand — in cards
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cap — a lid
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hand — help

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