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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · trunk · coach · bat · craft · saw · mouse · cold

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. craft — boats
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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