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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 120 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: straw · saw · fall · stem · coach · bank · craft · pound

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fall — the season
  11. bank — of a river
  12. craft — a skill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. craft — boats
  24. stem — a stem cell

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