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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. firm — decided
  3. tear — from crying
  4. craft — boats
  5. current — of water
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. capital — money
  10. current — happening now
  11. firm — a company
  12. tear — to rip
  13. object — to protest
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. firm — steady
  18. rush — hurry
  19. object — a thing
  20. craft — a skill
  21. object — an aim
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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