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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: craft · shower · rock · leaves · dip · mine · chair · staff

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mine — for digging
  3. staff — employees
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. shower — to wash
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rock — music
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. staff — employees
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. staff — a stick
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. dip — to sink
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rock — to move gently

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