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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. swing — music
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. swing — to play on
  17. track — a path
  18. rash — a series
  19. craft — boats
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. track — to keep track

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