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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hand — help
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. charge — electricity
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. charge — in control
  13. hand — in cards
  14. craft — a skill
  15. charge — a price
  16. spell — letters
  17. row — a line
  18. craft — boats
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tear — from crying

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