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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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Word bank
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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. craft — boats
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cell — a phone
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — a series
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rash — hasty
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cold — an illness
  24. craft — a handicraft

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