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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: chair · wave · bass · craft · trunk · spell · fork · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. chest — a box
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bass — low music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — letters
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spell — magic
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. chair — a leader
  16. craft — boats
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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