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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: rock · craft · wind · mug · date · trunk · drill · bay

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rock — music
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rock — a stone
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. drill — army training
  14. craft — boats
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — moving air
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — the tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mug — to rob

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