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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: kid · mate · saw · snap · fork · craft · march · straw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mate — to breed
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — child
  11. fork — in a road
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — a partner
  15. craft — a skill
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. kid — to tease
  18. craft — boats
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. snap — to click
  24. mate — a friend

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