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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 · band · mine · game · key · wound · stand · saw

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. game — wild animals
  11. key — for a lock
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. band — a ring
  15. craft — boats
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. game — a match
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. key — in music
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. band — a music group

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