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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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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bass — the fish
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bass — low music
  11. charge — in control
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. charge — electricity
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fork — in a road
  17. craft — boats
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. charge — a price
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bulb — of a plant

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