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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: leaves · current · craft · stick · kid · straw · bulb · patient

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kid — to tease
  3. current — of water
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bulb — for light
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. kid — child
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. current — electric
  17. craft — boats
  18. bulb — for light
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. current — happening now
  22. craft — a skill
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. craft — a handicraft

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