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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spring — a coil
  10. plane — a tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. craft — boats
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. shower — rain
  16. charge — in control
  17. spring — the season
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wax — to grow
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spring — of water
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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