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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. staff — employees
  4. craft — boats
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. staff — a stick
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — wild animals
  11. row — to paddle
  12. object — an aim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. club — a group
  17. game — a match
  18. object — a thing
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. club — for golf
  22. object — to protest
  23. craft — a skill
  24. row — a line

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