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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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468
Word bank
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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. craft — boats
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — all right
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chest — a box
  16. snap — to click
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — a series
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fine — high quality
  24. craft — a skill

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