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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: craft · bulb · saw · pop · rash · cold · straw · board

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. board — a committee
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. saw — the tool
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. craft — a skill
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. craft — boats
  18. rash — a series
  19. pop — music
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rash — hasty
  23. board — to get on
  24. straw — dry grass

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