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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. land — to come down
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — a country
  14. pit — a hole
  15. land — ground
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — of a word
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wound — an injury
  24. trunk — of a tree

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