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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 116 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — final
  5. wax — to grow
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. field — a subject
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. last — finally
  15. field — for sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. field — farmland
  23. scale — in music
  24. last — to go on

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