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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. craft — boats
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. present — a gift
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. craft — a skill
  15. present — the time now
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wax — to grow

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