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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 120 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: lie · craft · bulb · stand · snap · straw · shower · squash

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. craft — boats
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. squash — to crush
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. shower — to wash
  21. snap — to click
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. shower — rain
  24. stand — to bear

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