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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tube — a container
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — a skill
  12. present — there
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. present — the time now
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. present — a gift
  20. craft — boats
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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