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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. club — for golf
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. hand — help
  9. bore — to tire
  10. club — a group
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wake — a trail
  14. hand — in cards
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bore — to drill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pound — to hit hard

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