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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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Word bank
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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: stick · craft · tear · club · date · lash

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. club — for golf
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — boats
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. club — a group
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — for dancing
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lash — a whip stroke

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