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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · wake · suit · file · chest · craft · branch · season

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. suit — in cards
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. season — in sport
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chest — of your body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. file — a tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. suit — clothes
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. suit — to fit
  22. season — of the year
  23. craft — boats
  24. straw — dry grass

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