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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 120 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: cabinet · bulb · race · tear · ruler · fall · fan · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — a contest
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fall — the season
  13. race — humankind
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bulb — for light
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. race — the arms race
  23. craft — boats
  24. fall — to drop

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