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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. craft — boats
  3. pit — a hole
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. land — to come down
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — ground
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. land — a country
  23. fork — in a road
  24. drill — the tool

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