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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — to sink
  4. craft — a skill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. craft — boats
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bore — to drill
  15. track — to keep track
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — a path
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. track — a song

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