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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: bulb · tear · craft · pound · game · rash · hand · fan

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. craft — a skill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — help
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. game — a match
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — hasty
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bulb — for light
  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