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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lean · mine · stick · race · saw · bat · pitcher · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lean — thin
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lean — to bend
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bat — the animal
  24. saw — 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