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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. land — a country
  3. firm — steady
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. tear — to rip
  7. craft — a skill
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. spell — magic
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. craft — boats
  13. firm — decided
  14. last — final
  15. pop — soda
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — to go on
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pop — music
  22. last — finally
  23. spell — letters
  24. firm — a company

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