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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. root — the cause
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. net — for catching
  13. press — to push
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. tube — a container
  17. cold — an illness
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. net — in sport
  21. cold — not warm
  22. last — to go on
  23. net — after costs
  24. root — of a word

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