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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: object · straw · craft · nail · season · coach · rush · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — hurry
  3. craft — a skill
  4. land — a country
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. object — an aim
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. season — in sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. object — a thing
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. object — to protest
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. straw — dry grass

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