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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ball — a great time
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ball — a dance
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wind — moving air
  12. craft — boats
  13. board — a committee
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. clip — for paper
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. clip — a video
  19. board — to get on
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. wind — to turn a key

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