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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. craft — a skill
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. roll — a list
  7. craft — boats
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — a leader
  18. roll — a cake

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