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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — a line
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. face — part of the head
  15. sharp — clever
  16. face — to confront
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. kick — in football
  19. face — to point toward
  20. craft — a skill
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fall — the season
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — to drop

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