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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rock — music
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. date — the fruit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rock — a stone
  11. craft — a skill
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. craft — boats
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — certain
  20. shower — rain
  21. plane — a tool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. shower — to wash

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