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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. spring — a coil
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bass — low music
  6. present — there
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. craft — a skill
  9. present — the time now
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chip — for betting
  13. spring — of water
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bass — the fish
  17. spring — the season
  18. scale — in music
  19. branch — a division
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. craft — boats
  22. chip — to eat
  23. present — a gift
  24. scale — size or range

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