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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. craft — boats
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rock — music
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spell — a short time
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. spell — magic
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mine — for digging
  20. snap — to click
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spell — letters
  24. hide — animal skin

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