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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — a contest
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bass — the fish
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spring — the season
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. tear — to rip
  10. race — humankind
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. craft — boats
  13. last — finally
  14. tear — from crying
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. last — final
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. spring — of water
  23. last — to go on
  24. tear — from crying

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