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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: craft · cap · cabinet · rest · tear · mark · club · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. club — a group
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mark — a trace
  8. tear — from crying
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tear — to rip
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cap — of ice
  20. craft — boats
  21. rest — what's left
  22. club — for golf
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. tear — from crying

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