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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. content — the amount
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. craft — a skill
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fall — the season
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. sharp — clever
  22. craft — boats
  23. content — happy
  24. squash — the vegetable

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