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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.

Words on the sheet
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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. craft — boats
  5. ball — a great time
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chest — of your body
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. craft — a skill
  11. root — of a plant
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tear — to rip
  15. root — the cause
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — a break
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. root — of a word
  23. ball — a dance
  24. chest — a box

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