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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cap — a lid
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tear — to rip
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bore — to tire
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cap — a hat
  13. craft — a skill
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. craft — boats
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cap — of ice
  18. branch — a division
  19. swing — music
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. tear — from crying
  22. face — to confront
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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