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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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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: wake · cap · safe · tear · wound · fall · jam · craft

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fall — the season
  5. cap — a lid
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fall — to drop
  10. craft — boats
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — a trail
  21. craft — a skill
  22. tear — to rip
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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