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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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468
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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. craft — boats
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. band — a ring
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — music
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to click
  22. tear — to rip
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. craft — a skill

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