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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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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: leaves · row · bat · trunk · firm · spell · craft · wound

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. craft — a skill
  7. firm — steady
  8. row — a line
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — letters
  14. firm — decided
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. firm — a company
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — to paddle
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. craft — boats
  24. row — a quarrel

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