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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · bore · court · face · straw · saw · craft · mine

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. craft — a handicraft
  2. saw — the tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. craft — boats
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. court — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. face — to confront
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bore — to tire
  19. court — of a king
  20. face — to point toward
  21. board — a committee
  22. court — of law
  23. mine — an explosive
  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