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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 · tear · band · straw · current · cabinet · pop · calf

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. craft — boats
  2. tear — from crying
  3. current — electric
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. current — of water
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. craft — a skill
  20. current — happening now
  21. pop — soda
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. straw — a straw man
  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