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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. object — an aim
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bark — to shout
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. object — to protest
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mug — a cup
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mug — a face
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mug — to rob
  18. craft — a skill
  19. band — a music group
  20. object — a thing
  21. branch — a division
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. branch — of a bank

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