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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mug — a face
  10. tear — from crying
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hand — help
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mug — a cup
  18. squash — the sport
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stand — to bear
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lean — thin
  23. craft — boats
  24. tear — from crying

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