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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
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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: ground · mate · hand · straw · toast · stick · plane · craft

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — a skill
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mate — a partner
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ground — crushed
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ground — a position
  17. mate — a friend
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. toast — bread

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