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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mug — a cup
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mug — to rob
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fall — the season
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. craft — boats
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fall — to drop
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mug — a face

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