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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. tube — the underground
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. craft — boats
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — a skill
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tear — from crying
  15. game — a match
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lean — thin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tube — a container

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