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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wax — to grow
  5. capital — a city
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. craft — boats
  13. capital — money
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rock — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. fine — all right
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. season — of the year
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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