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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: straw · pitch · stem · game · craft · tube · land · board

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pitch — completely
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. land — a country
  14. tube — the underground
  15. land — ground
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. game — a match
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. craft — boats

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