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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. field — a subject
  3. tear — from crying
  4. craft — boats
  5. tear — from crying
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. charge — electricity
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. charge — a price
  10. tear — to rip
  11. field — for sport
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. field — farmland
  18. charge — in control
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. squash — to crush

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