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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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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 · hand · cell · ruler · wound · row · straw · bay

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — in biology
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. row — a line
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — help
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ruler — for measuring

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