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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bass — low music
  13. pit — in a race
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rock — a stone
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rock — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bass — the fish
  24. leaves — to go away

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