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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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Word bank
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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spell — letters
  4. tear — from crying
  5. craft — a skill
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. craft — boats
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. firm — decided
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. firm — a company
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. tear — to rip
  24. degree — temperature

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