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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: straw · rock · clip · patient · firm · sharp · face · craft

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. clip — for paper
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. firm — a company
  7. clip — to cut
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. firm — decided
  11. craft — a skill
  12. clip — a video
  13. craft — boats
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. face — part of the head
  17. firm — steady
  18. sharp — clever
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. sharp — with an edge

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