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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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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: cap · cell · craft · lash · rule · bass · trunk · kid

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rule — a law
  6. kid — to tease
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. kid — child
  16. cap — a lid
  17. craft — boats
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cap — a hat
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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