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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. net — after costs
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cue — a signal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. net — in sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. craft — a skill
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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