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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: saw · chest · pound · game · stock · rock · plane · craft

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. craft — boats
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. game — wild animals
  8. craft — a skill
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pound — a weight
  17. stock — shares
  18. rock — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stock — goods
  21. game — a match
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chest — a box
  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