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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: shower · bay · hide · wake · craft · trunk · wound · pitcher

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — a trail
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. shower — rain
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. shower — to wash
  24. craft — boats

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