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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.

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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: bowl · stick · patient · straw · foot · hide · last · craft

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. last — final
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. craft — boats
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. craft — a skill
  13. last — finally
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — to go on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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