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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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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: craft · wind · lean · safe · last · dip · kid · roll

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. roll — a list
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. craft — a skill
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lean — thin
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. last — to go on
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — final
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. craft — boats
  22. kid — child
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — finally

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