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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 116 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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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: craft · trunk · pop · land · cell · snap · lean · wave

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pop — music
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pop — soda
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lean — to bend
  7. craft — boats
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. snap — to click
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pop — to visit
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — to come down
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lean — thin
  20. cell — a phone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. wave — with your hand

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