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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · cue · stand · craft · band · game · wound · bark

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. craft — a skill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. game — a match
  9. cue — a hint
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — for pool
  15. craft — boats
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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