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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. spring — a coil
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. craft — boats
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. spring — of water
  10. craft — a skill
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. present — a gift
  14. kid — child
  15. hand — in cards
  16. race — a contest
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. kid — to tease
  21. race — humankind
  22. spring — the season
  23. hand — help
  24. race — the arms race

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