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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: nail · date · squash · rock · craft · wake · can · tear

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. squash — the sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. date — the fruit
  13. craft — boats
  14. tear — from crying
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rock — a stone
  17. squash — to crush
  18. tear — to rip
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. can — a tin
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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