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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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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: craft · bore · plane · hand · row · tear · fall · lie

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. lie — to recline
  3. tear — from crying
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to tire
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fall — the season
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. row — a line
  22. bore — to drill
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hand — part of the body

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