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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bass — low music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. court — of a king
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. charge — in control
  9. clip — for paper
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. craft — boats
  12. kid — to tease
  13. court — of law
  14. rock — music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. clip — to cut
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — a video
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — child
  23. charge — a price
  24. craft — a handicraft

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