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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.

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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: trunk · tear · arm · bowl · lie · craft · mouse · snap

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. craft — boats
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. lie — to recline
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mouse — the animal

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