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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bank — for money
  5. board — to get on
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wax — to grow
  8. march — the month
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. court — of a king
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. march — the month
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — boats
  20. bank — of a river
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. march — music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. board — a committee

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