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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. land — to come down
  9. scale — size or range
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — a country
  14. spell — a short time
  15. craft — boats
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. craft — a skill
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. saw — the tool

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