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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · season · wound · craft · bulb · mouse · band · kid

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bulb — for light
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wound — an injury
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. craft — boats
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. band — a music group
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — child
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. season — in sport

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