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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · last · tear · craft · pit · straw

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pit — in a race
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. last — to go on
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rock — music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. last — final
  13. craft — boats
  14. last — finally
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rock — a stone
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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