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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: fall · row · stick · craft · cabinet · straw · board · march

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fall — to drop
  3. row — to paddle
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. craft — boats
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fall — to drop
  11. board — a committee
  12. craft — a skill
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. board — to get on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fall — the season
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. row — a line
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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