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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: lean · suit · pop · straw · hand · craft · hide · saw

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. hand — in cards
  5. saw — the tool
  6. suit — clothes
  7. pop — music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hand — help
  10. craft — a skill
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. suit — to fit
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. craft — boats
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lean — thin
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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