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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stock — goods
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — shares
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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