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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: trunk · craft · straw · object · cell · nail · field · march

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cell — in biology
  3. object — to protest
  4. field — for sport
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. object — a thing
  10. craft — a skill
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — a phone
  16. object — an aim
  17. craft — boats
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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