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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: bay · sharp · fan · spell · dip · row · craft · trunk

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spell — letters
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. row — a line
  11. spell — magic
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. craft — boats
  16. row — to paddle
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — to sink
  21. craft — a skill
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — to dunk

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