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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: lean · craft · bear · deal · straw · mine · trunk · rule

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mine — for digging
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lean — thin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rule — government
  24. bear — 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