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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 120 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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. dip — to sink
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. craft — boats
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — in biology
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wax — to grow
  14. saw — the tool
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. straw — a straw man

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