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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: trunk · craft · racket · straw · pop · arm · bank · fall

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bank — for money
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. pop — to visit
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pop — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. craft — boats
  13. fall — to drop
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pop — soda
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fall — the season
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fall — to drop

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