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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. hand — in cards
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lean — thin
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pound — a weight
  17. craft — boats
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. lean — to bend
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. drill — army training
  24. pound — for dogs

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