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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — in cards
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. plane — a tool
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stock — shares
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. craft — boats
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. craft — a handicraft

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