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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: ball · tear · chest · file · jam · craft · stand · chair

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — a skill
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tear — to rip
  6. file — a tool
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tear — from crying
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. file — a line of people
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ball — a great time
  21. file — a document
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. stand — on your feet

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