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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — final
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. craft — a skill
  8. last — finally
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mine — for digging
  19. craft — boats
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — a container
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — to go on

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