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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. face — to confront
  4. rush — hurry
  5. charge — a price
  6. spring — the season
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. charge — electricity
  11. craft — a skill
  12. current — happening now
  13. face — to point toward
  14. craft — boats
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. current — of water
  18. spring — of water
  19. charge — in control
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. face — part of the head
  22. current — electric
  23. kick — in football
  24. spring — a coil

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