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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wind — moving air
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — money
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. capital — a city
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. root — of a plant
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — there
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. root — of a word
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. craft — boats
  20. lie — to recline
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. root — the cause

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