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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 · hand · racket · prune · key · craft · bulb · sharp

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. prune — to trim
  4. craft — boats
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. craft — a skill
  9. hand — in cards
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. key — in music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. sharp — clever
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. key — the most important part
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. key — for a lock
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. racket — a loud noise

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