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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: bark · present · mug · cabinet · tear · racket · cap · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. present — a gift
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. craft — a skill
  6. present — there
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — boats
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mug — a face
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cap — of ice
  13. present — the time now
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. tear — from crying
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bark — to shout
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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