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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: mark · craft · rock · tear · straw · date · race · wake

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mark — a trace
  5. craft — boats
  6. mark — a grade
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rock — music
  18. race — humankind
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. race — the arms race
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. craft — a skill
  24. race — a contest

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