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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 120 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 · spring · drill · rush · arm · swing · stem · craft

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — of water
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. drill — army training
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. craft — boats
  13. spring — the season
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. craft — a skill
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. spring — a coil
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stem — to come from

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