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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. craft — boats
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bass — low music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. craft — a skill
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bass — the fish
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. wake — a trail

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