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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spell — a short time
  5. field — for sport
  6. stock — shares
  7. spell — magic
  8. craft — boats
  9. rest — what's left
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. field — farmland
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rest — a break
  15. field — a subject
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spell — letters
  20. wax — to grow
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stock — goods
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stock — a soup base

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