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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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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: lean · drill · kid · suit · present · wind · craft · net

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wind — moving air
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. present — a gift
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. net — in sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — for catching
  10. kid — to tease
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — child
  13. lean — thin
  14. craft — boats
  15. drill — army training
  16. suit — clothes
  17. craft — a skill
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. present — there
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — after costs
  23. suit — to fit
  24. drill — the tool

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