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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: craft · bay · plane · drill · lash · straw · cell · mug

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. drill — army training
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. craft — boats
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mug — a face
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mug — a cup
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. plane — in geometry

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