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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — a group
  3. net — for catching
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. net — after costs
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — a series
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ball — a dance
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ball — a great time
  18. club — for golf
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. foot — a measure
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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