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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: bark · tear · rash · jam · ball · craft · straw · cap

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cap — a hat
  6. craft — boats
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cap — of ice
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bark — to shout
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. straw — dry grass

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