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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: fork · ruler · straw · mine · craft · band · bay · pop

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. band — a music group
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pop — soda
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. band — a ring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fork — in a road
  23. craft — boats
  24. fork — to eat with

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