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

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. craft — boats
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fork — in a road
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. swing — music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chair — to sit on

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