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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: band · craft · drill · rock · mouse · saw · face · straw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. band — a ring
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rock — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. rock — a stone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — boats
  24. rock — to move gently

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