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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: cell · craft · trunk · chest · race · pop · row · deal

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. chest — of your body
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pop — to visit
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pop — soda
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. race — humankind
  9. chest — a box
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pop — music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. row — to paddle
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chest — of your body
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. row — a line
  21. craft — a skill
  22. race — a contest
  23. cell — a phone
  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