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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. scale — in music
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. cold — not warm
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wake — a trail
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — to breed
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. shower — rain
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mate — a partner

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