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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pass — a permit
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. march — the month
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. row — a line
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — to rip
  20. row — to paddle
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. march — the month
  23. tear — from crying
  24. craft — boats

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