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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — hasty
  6. row — to paddle
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bulb — for light
  10. craft — boats
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — a line
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rash — a series

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