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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spring — the season
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. content — happy
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. craft — boats
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. spring — a coil
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. foot — a measure
  18. spring — of water
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. content — the amount
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. patient — a sick person

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