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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cap — a lid
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. craft — boats
  10. wake — a trail
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. board — to get on
  17. craft — a skill
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. board — a committee
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. branch — a division
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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