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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. drill — army training
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stock — shares
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stock — goods
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. craft — boats
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rock — music
  23. drill — the tool
  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