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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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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cold — an illness
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bank — for money
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bank — for money
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. craft — boats
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kid — child
  19. squash — the sport
  20. kid — to tease
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cold — not warm

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