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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lean — to bend
  3. craft — a skill
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. capital — money
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. track — a path
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lean — thin
  14. capital — a city
  15. scale — size or range
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. track — a song
  18. craft — boats
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. deal — to handle
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. scale — in music

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