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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: drill · straw · kid · wave · charge · craft · bass · kick

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kid — child
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. charge — a price
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. charge — electricity
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. drill — army training
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bass — low music
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. charge — in control
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. drill — a practice
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. craft — boats
  23. bass — the fish
  24. drill — the tool

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