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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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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: wind · arm · mouse · land · craft · cabinet · straw · deal

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. land — ground
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wind — moving air
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. land — a country
  18. craft — boats
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — to come down
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wind — moving air

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