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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wake — a trail
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. craft — a skill
  13. lean — thin
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kid — child
  21. craft — boats
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bat — the animal

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