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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spring — a coil
  3. row — a line
  4. mark — a trace
  5. row — to paddle
  6. season — in sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. content — the amount
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. craft — boats
  15. season — of the year
  16. mark — a grade
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. spring — of water
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. content — happy

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