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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tear — to rip
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — to tease
  8. craft — boats
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rash — a series
  15. fine — high quality
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kid — child
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. craft — a skill

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