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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: trunk · net · craft · bat · leaves · date · arm · rush

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. craft — boats
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. date — the fruit
  10. net — for catching
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. net — after costs
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — the animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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