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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · row · band · fall · suit · rush · straw · degree

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. band — a ring
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. degree — temperature
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. row — a line
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fall — the season
  13. degree — an amount
  14. suit — in cards
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. suit — clothes
  18. band — a music group
  19. suit — to fit
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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