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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: craft · ruler · stick · tube · hide · court · stem · straw

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. court — of a king
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — of law
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. craft — a skill
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. court — for sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — boats
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tube — a container

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