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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: fall · craft · tear · rock · nail · season · chest · foot

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chest — a box
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rock — music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fall — the season
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. craft — a skill
  20. foot — a measure
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. craft — boats

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