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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 120 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tear — from crying
  9. shower — rain
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. press — to push
  14. shower — to wash
  15. net — for catching
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — after costs
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. tear — to rip
  22. net — in sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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