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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: fan · craft · lie · trunk · drill · spring · kick · jam

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. spring — the season
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. spring — of water
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. craft — boats
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. craft — a skill
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. craft — a handicraft

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