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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. field — a subject
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — electric
  14. rock — music
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. current — of water
  17. field — farmland
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — for sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. current — happening now
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. craft — a skill

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