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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. roll — a cake
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. roll — a list
  8. last — final
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rock — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. last — to go on
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wake — a trail
  19. last — finally
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rock — a stone
  24. roll — on a roll

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