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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tear — to rip
  5. craft — a skill
  6. club — for dancing
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. club — for golf
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tear — from crying
  13. craft — boats
  14. fall — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fall — to drop
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. club — a group
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fall — to drop
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kid — to tease
  24. racket — for tennis

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