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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. craft — a skill
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. prune — to trim
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wind — moving air
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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