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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. craft — boats
  4. capital — money
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. shower — rain
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. present — there
  11. season — in sport
  12. craft — a skill
  13. present — a gift
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. track — to keep track
  16. season — of the year
  17. capital — a city
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pound — a weight
  24. present — the time now

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