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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. craft — a skill
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. court — of law
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mine — for digging
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. craft — boats

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