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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — a trace
  3. craft — boats
  4. plane — a tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. mark — a grade
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. craft — a skill
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rock — music
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. plane — an aircraft

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