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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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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: object · lie · cell · craft · bank · straw · bat · rash

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cell — a phone
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rash — hasty
  8. craft — boats
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bank — for money
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — the animal
  16. object — to protest
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. object — an aim
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bank — of a river

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