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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. fine — all right
  3. spell — magic
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. craft — boats
  13. spell — a short time
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fine — high quality
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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