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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fall — to drop
  10. craft — boats
  11. charge — a price
  12. can — to be able to
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — the fish
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. charge — in control
  17. can — a tin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — ground
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. fall — the season
  24. rash — hasty

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