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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. craft — boats
  3. present — a gift
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. net — in sport
  6. plane — a tool
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. present — there
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bound — obliged
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — certain
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. present — the time now
  24. plane — in geometry

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