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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: cabinet · squash · chip · sharp · shower · craft · band · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. sharp — clever
  3. craft — a skill
  4. chip — for betting
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. band — a ring
  7. shower — to wash
  8. squash — to crush
  9. craft — boats
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. squash — the sport
  13. band — a music group
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. shower — rain
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chip — in a computer

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