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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spring — a coil
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. spring — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. face — to point toward
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. face — part of the head
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spring — of water
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. face — to confront
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stock — shares
  23. craft — boats
  24. stock — goods

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