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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: scale · hand · trunk · craft · saw · pop · pound · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pop — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pound — a weight
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hand — help
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hand — in cards
  20. scale — in music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. craft — boats
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — soda

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