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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. present — a gift
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. present — the time now
  5. craft — a skill
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chest — a box
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. craft — boats
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. present — there
  19. pound — a weight
  20. scale — in music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. chest — of your body

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