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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. shower — rain
  7. wax — to grow
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. shower — to wash
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. march — music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. craft — boats
  17. mate — a partner
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. sharp — clever
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — a friend
  24. craft — a skill

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