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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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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: cold · nail · hide · row · safe · band · craft · stick

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a line
  13. band — a music group
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — not warm
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. nail — for a hammer

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