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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. craft — boats
  6. last — to go on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. last — finally
  9. craft — a skill
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — final
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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