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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spring — of water
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ground — the earth
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. craft — boats
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ground — crushed
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ground — a position
  24. plane — in geometry

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