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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 120 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 · perch · field · ruler · lash · game · trunk · wound

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. perch — the fish
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — for sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. field — a subject
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. field — farmland
  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