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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: mug · leaves · spring · trunk · craft · cold · nail · deal

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spring — of water
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spring — a coil
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mug — a face
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — to rob
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. deal — to handle
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. spring — the season
  24. mug — a cup

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