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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. can — a tin
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. craft — boats
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. march — music
  11. season — in sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. court — of a king
  16. season — of the year
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. hand — in cards
  19. can — a tin
  20. craft — a skill
  21. court — for sport
  22. march — the month
  23. court — of law
  24. trunk — of a car

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