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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — of the year
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bore — to drill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bore — to tire
  20. season — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bore — gave birth

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