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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. plane — a tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — to paddle
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — boats
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — a line
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. snap — to click
  23. fork — in a road
  24. straw — dry grass

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