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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: bay · rash · cold · jam · tear · craft · chip · bank

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bank — for money
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. tear — from crying
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — a series
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chip — for betting
  16. craft — boats
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bank — for money
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cold — the Cold War

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