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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 · mouse · wind · tear · pit · face · fine · date

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pit — in a race
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — to confront
  10. craft — boats
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fine — all right
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. face — to point toward
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  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