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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: straw · lean · sharp · saw · craft · wake · chip · fan

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chip — for betting
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chip — to eat
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. saw — the tool
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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