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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: straw · rock · can · spring · hand · field · stand · craft

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. craft — boats
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spring — of water
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. field — farmland
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — help
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  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