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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: suit · arm · lean · cold · saw · pop · deal · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pop — to visit
  3. craft — a skill
  4. suit — in cards
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lean — thin
  9. saw — the tool
  10. suit — to fit
  11. lean — to bend
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. suit — clothes
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pop — soda
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. deal — to handle

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