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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. shower — to wash
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bank — for money
  7. shower — rain
  8. bank — for money
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bank — of a river
  12. staff — a stick
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chip — for betting
  18. tear — to rip
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chip — to eat
  22. craft — boats
  23. staff — employees
  24. craft — a handicraft

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