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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · kid · trunk · wake · mine · craft · lean · sharp

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. craft — boats
  8. lean — thin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — to bend
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chair — a leader
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kid — child
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. craft — a skill

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