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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: dip · craft · cell · squash · safe · wind · shower · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. shower — to wash
  3. squash — the sport
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wind — moving air
  9. craft — boats
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. craft — a skill
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. shower — rain
  20. cell — in biology
  21. squash — to crush
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. dip — to dunk

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