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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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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: mark · craft · hand · lash · wax · bound · game · trunk

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mark — a trace
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. hand — help
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mark — a grade
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hand — in cards
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. trunk — of a car

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