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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
468
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: tear · board · wound · craft · saw · spell · pit · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pit — a hole
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. spell — magic
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — letters
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — boats
  18. board — to get on
  19. pit — in a race
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. board — a committee
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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