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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: firm · craft · trunk · land · cold · fine · bowl · spell

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spell — letters
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. spell — a short time
  7. firm — steady
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. craft — boats
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. firm — decided
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. fine — all right
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cold — an illness
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cold — not warm
  21. spell — magic
  22. land — a country
  23. firm — a company
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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