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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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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: lean · wind · straw · sharp · nail · band · ground · craft

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. band — a music group
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. band — a ring
  24. lean — thin

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