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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spell — magic
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. capital — a city
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. capital — money
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spell — letters
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wind — moving air
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. wax — for sculpting

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