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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 124 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. shower — rain
  5. bank — for money
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — to wash
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. roll — a cake
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bank — for money
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bank — of a river
  20. roll — a list
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. saw — the tool

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