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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stand — to bear
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bass — the fish
  11. craft — boats
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bass — low music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitcher — a jug

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