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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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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: hide · staff · wound · bulb · straw · rock · ground · craft

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ground — crushed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — a position
  6. craft — boats
  7. rock — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. craft — a skill
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. craft — a handicraft

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