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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — a container
  4. craft — a skill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. object — an aim
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wound — an injury
  10. craft — boats
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. object — a thing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. object — to protest
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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