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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chip — for betting
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chest — of your body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. chest — a box
  13. craft — a skill
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chest — of your body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. trunk — of a car

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