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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 116 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
468
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: bat · straw · deal · bark · charge · band · craft · cabinet

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bark — to shout
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bat — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. band — a ring
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. charge — in control

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