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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kick — in football
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — a series
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rash — hasty
  15. craft — boats
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — an injury

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