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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mine — for digging
  16. craft — boats
  17. lean — thin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — a skill
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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