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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 120 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: current · craft · straw · patient · cabinet · wake · scale · object

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. current — of water
  6. scale — in music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. current — electric
  9. scale — size or range
  10. object — a thing
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. current — happening now
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — an aim
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. object — to protest
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wake — a trail
  23. straw — dry grass
  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