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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: bound · craft · kid · wake · straw · stick · scale · lean

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. kid — child
  3. bound — certain
  4. scale — in music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lean — thin
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. craft — boats
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. craft — a skill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. kid — to tease
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lean — to bend
  24. scale — size or range

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