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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 120 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rock — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. craft — boats
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bank — for money
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bank — of a river
  19. drill — army training
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bank — for money
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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