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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · craft · trunk · march · dip · wind · fan · mine

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. craft — boats
  3. wind — moving air
  4. march — the month
  5. wind — moving air
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — to sink
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. march — the month
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mine — belonging to me

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