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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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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: stick · stem · cabinet · straw · rash · face · craft · cue

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cue — for pool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. face — part of the head
  15. craft — boats
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rash — a series
  19. cue — a signal
  20. face — to confront
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cue — a hint
  24. craft — a skill

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