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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bore — to tire
  4. craft — a skill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. present — the time now
  9. spell — letters
  10. present — there
  11. craft — boats
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. present — a gift
  14. bore — to drill
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spell — a short time
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. rush — hurry
  24. drill — a practice

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