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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: lie · tear · pound · chair · craft · mine · club · shower

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pound — a weight
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. tear — to rip
  8. club — for golf
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. shower — rain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. club — for dancing
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — a leader

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