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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 124 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lean — thin
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. land — a country
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to bend
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. tear — to rip
  19. land — to come down
  20. craft — boats
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. foot — a measure

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