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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. row — a line
  2. can — a tin
  3. mine — for digging
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. can — a tin
  11. craft — boats
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fine — high quality
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — to rip
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fine — all right
  21. can — to be able to
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. race — a contest
  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