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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: craft · plane · wind · kid · straw · tube · board · mug

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wind — moving air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kid — child
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mug — a cup
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. board — a committee
  17. mug — to rob
  18. board — to get on
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — a skill
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mug — a face

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