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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mate — a friend
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chest — of your body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. craft — boats
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chest — a box
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — in a road
  19. craft — a skill
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. craft — a handicraft

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