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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. craft — boats
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — a coil
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. squash — to crush
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spring — of water
  16. squash — the sport
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — the season
  22. craft — a skill
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bowl — to roll

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