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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 116 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: shower · craft · stem · hide · straw · rest · saw · squash

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rest — what's left
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rest — a break
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. shower — rain
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. squash — to crush
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rest — what's left
  22. craft — boats
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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