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

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. rest — what's left
  6. root — of a word
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tear — from crying
  10. last — final
  11. wound — an injury
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. root — the cause
  16. rest — a break
  17. craft — a skill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a plant
  24. press — to push

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