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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rash — a series
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — to go on
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. fall — to drop
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. craft — boats
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. last — final
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fall — the season

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