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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. craft — boats
  5. kid — to tease
  6. craft — a skill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. snap — to click
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fine — high quality
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — farmland
  18. bore — to tire
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. field — for sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. kid — child
  23. field — a subject
  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