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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tear — to rip
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — to crush
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rash — hasty
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. craft — boats
  16. squash — the sport
  17. suit — clothes
  18. shower — rain
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. suit — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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