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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — boats
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — a break
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. firm — decided
  11. spring — of water
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — a hole
  16. tear — to rip
  17. firm — a company
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. firm — steady
  23. spring — the season
  24. pit — in a race

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