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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 120 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: mug · bank · craft · swing · file · spring · tear · lie

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. file — a document
  5. mug — to rob
  6. spring — of water
  7. file — a line of people
  8. spring — the season
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. swing — music
  13. mug — a face
  14. bank — for money
  15. craft — boats
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — to recline
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bank — of a river
  23. file — a tool
  24. spring — a coil

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