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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. craft — boats
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. spell — magic
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ground — a position
  20. stock — shares
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spell — letters
  24. stock — goods

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