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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. craft — a skill
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tube — in a tire

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