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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. craft — a skill
  5. can — a tin
  6. court — of a king
  7. deal — to handle
  8. field — farmland
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. can — a tin
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. court — of law
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. court — for sport
  18. field — for sport
  19. can — to be able to
  20. field — a subject
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fan — a supporter

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