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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hand — help
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a music group
  9. craft — boats
  10. band — a ring
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. craft — a skill
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. deal — a big deal

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