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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: bat · shower · trunk · rush · craft · board · bound · fan

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. craft — a skill
  9. board — to get on
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bound — certain
  12. shower — rain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rush — hurry
  23. board — a committee
  24. rush — to hurry

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