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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. tear — from crying
  5. craft — boats
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. firm — decided
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pit — in a race
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — a hole
  16. firm — steady
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. firm — a company
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — to handle
  24. tear — from crying

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