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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bank — for money
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. root — of a word
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. root — the cause
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bank — of a river
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — of a plant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. craft — a skill

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