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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: pop · cap · bound · tear · kid · rock · content · craft

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — happy
  6. bound — obliged
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. kid — to tease
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rock — a stone
  12. craft — boats
  13. pop — music
  14. bound — certain
  15. rock — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cap — a lid
  20. content — the amount
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bound — tied together
  23. kid — child
  24. pop — soda

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