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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — happening now
  3. wound — an injury
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — shares
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. craft — boats
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mouse — the animal

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