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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: craft · pop · lash · court · trunk · saw · scale · bore

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. court — of a king
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. court — for sport
  10. pop — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. craft — a skill
  13. court — of law
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — to drill
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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