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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. can — a tin
  3. craft — boats
  4. can — to be able to
  5. tear — to rip
  6. game — a match
  7. land — a country
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. land — ground
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kid — to tease
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. craft — a skill
  19. can — a tin
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wax — for sculpting

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