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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. spring — a coil
  3. craft — a skill
  4. tear — from crying
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — wild animals
  7. drill — a practice
  8. suit — to fit
  9. spring — the season
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spring — of water
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. craft — boats
  18. mine — for digging
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. tear — to rip
  21. suit — clothes
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. game — a match

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