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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: row · board · present · chair · straw · wound · craft · wave

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. present — there
  8. wound — an injury
  9. board — to get on
  10. row — a line
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. board — a committee
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — boats
  18. present — a gift
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. present — the time now
  24. straw — a straw man

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