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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · wind · kick · shower · trunk · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — to wash
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. craft — boats
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pit — a hole
  17. shower — rain
  18. kick — in football

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