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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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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tear — from crying
  3. charge — in control
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. charge — a price
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. charge — electricity
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bound — tied together
  14. craft — boats
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kid — child
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — certain
  21. kid — to tease
  22. shower — rain
  23. clip — a video
  24. tear — from crying

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