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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. craft — a skill
  3. dip — to sink
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. craft — boats
  6. cell — a phone
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — magic
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. spell — letters
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cell — in biology

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