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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 116 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hand — help
  3. craft — a skill
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tear — to rip
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. craft — boats
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. march — music
  17. kick — in football
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. tear — from crying
  22. prune — to trim
  23. march — the month
  24. prune — the fruit

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