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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: trunk · bass · roll · craft · stand · fall · spring · wound

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. spring — a coil
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. craft — boats
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spring — the season
  10. fall — the season
  11. bass — low music
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. roll — a list
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spring — of water
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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