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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: craft · fan · field · bowl · rest · trunk · lash · bay

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rest — a break
  4. craft — boats
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rest — what's left
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — farmland
  24. fan — a supporter

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