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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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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: chest · mouse · wake · rush · plane · board · straw · craft

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. craft — boats
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chest — a box
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. craft — a skill
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. straw — dry grass

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