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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. craft — boats
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. craft — a skill
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path

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