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

Word bank: roll · club · perch · foot · shower · chest · straw · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. club — a group
  4. craft — boats
  5. club — for golf
  6. chest — of your body
  7. shower — to wash
  8. roll — a list
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chest — a box
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. roll — a cake
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — rain
  22. perch — the fish
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. perch — for a bird

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