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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. can — a tin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. craft — boats
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. can — a tin
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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