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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
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: shower · plane · craft · hand · wound · band · stick · wax

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hand — help
  6. wound — an injury
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wax — to grow
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. shower — to wash
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. craft — boats

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