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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. net — for catching
  3. wax — to grow
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. court — of law
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. swing — in golf
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — in sport
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. court — of a king
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. net — after costs
  22. court — for sport
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. swing — music

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