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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. craft — boats
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. staff — employees
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. row — a line
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. row — to paddle
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. staff — a stick
  24. craft — a skill

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