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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: perch · wound · stick · straw · lean · craft · wave · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. object — to protest
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. object — an aim
  13. lean — thin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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