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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: craft · chair · stand · rock · tear · squash · court · bulb

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. court — of a king
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. craft — boats
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rock — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chair — to sit on

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