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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. capital — money
  5. roll — a cake
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mug — a cup
  8. capital — a city
  9. tube — the underground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mug — a face
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. tube — a container
  21. craft — a skill
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. craft — boats
  24. roll — a list

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