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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: racket · tear · craft · trunk · wave · cell · mine · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. tear — from crying
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mine — for digging
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. craft — boats
  24. fine — a penalty

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