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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: bear · shower · fall · club · stick · craft · stand · tear

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fall — to drop
  7. craft — boats
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — for golf
  14. fall — the season
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. club — a group
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fall — to drop
  24. craft — a handicraft

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