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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — to rip
  4. kid — to tease
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. craft — a skill
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. plane — a tool
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. craft — boats
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. kid — child

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