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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: foot · swing · trunk · craft · clip · sharp · mug · shower

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. swing — in golf
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. sharp — clever
  6. clip — to cut
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. swing — to play on
  9. clip — a video
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. craft — a skill
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. clip — for paper
  20. craft — boats
  21. foot — a measure
  22. swing — music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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