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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. craft — boats
  3. charge — a price
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. charge — in control
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. net — for catching
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. plane — a tool
  12. craft — a skill
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. net — in sport
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — after costs
  20. charge — electricity
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — in the ear

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