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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 124 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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. spell — a short time
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. craft — boats
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — goods
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bass — the fish
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pound — a weight
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bass — low music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. date — the fruit
  22. spell — letters
  23. foot — a measure
  24. spell — magic

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