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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. object — to protest
  4. key — in music
  5. object — an aim
  6. field — a subject
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. craft — a skill
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. key — for a lock
  15. shower — rain
  16. key — the most important part
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. shower — to wash
  19. craft — boats
  20. fork — in a road
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. object — a thing

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