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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. can — a tin
  5. roll — a cake
  6. can — a tin
  7. craft — a skill
  8. drill — a practice
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. craft — boats
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. row — to paddle
  15. prune — to trim
  16. drill — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — army training
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — a line
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. roll — a list
  24. prune — the fruit

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