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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. craft — a skill
  5. last — to go on
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. row — a line
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — a company
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. row — to paddle
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. craft — boats
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — final
  19. saw — the tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. last — finally
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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