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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spell — magic
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. spell — a short time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. drill — army training
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. drill — a practice
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spell — letters
  24. prune — the fruit

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