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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. ground — a position
  5. hand — help
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. craft — boats
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. craft — a skill
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. arm — part of the body

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