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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bass — low music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wax — to grow
  22. craft — boats
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chest — a box

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