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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: rock · craft · tear · perch · club · capital · face · firm

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. firm — steady
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. face — to point toward
  7. firm — decided
  8. club — a group
  9. capital — money
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. club — for golf
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. firm — a company
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. craft — boats
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. tear — to rip
  21. club — for dancing
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rock — to move gently
  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