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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. craft — boats
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — a box
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a skill
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rock — music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. chest — of your body

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