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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. staff — employees
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. board — a committee
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cold — not warm
  14. craft — boats
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cold — an illness
  18. board — to get on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wind — to turn a key

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