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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. kid — child
  3. board — to get on
  4. craft — boats
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. board — a committee
  20. track — a song
  21. dip — to sink
  22. scale — in music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. scale — size or range

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