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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wound — an injury
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wake — a trail
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rule — government
  15. club — for golf
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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