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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: board · ground · deal · tear · straw · rush · craft · spell

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spell — a short time
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — a skill
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ground — a position
  13. spell — letters
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spell — magic
  17. deal — to handle
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — to rip
  20. board — to get on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. craft — boats
  24. deal — an agreement

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