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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: hand · lie · cue · wind · straw · craft · current · foot

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cue — a hint
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cue — a signal
  9. hand — help
  10. wind — moving air
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. current — of water
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lie — to recline
  20. foot — a measure
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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