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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: roll · file · temple · lean · straw · kid · board · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. kid — child
  3. lean — to bend
  4. kid — to tease
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — a list
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. file — a tool
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — a committee
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. board — to get on
  16. craft — a skill
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. craft — boats
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lean — thin

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