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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. craft — boats
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. craft — a skill
  6. file — a document
  7. sharp — clever
  8. file — a line of people
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. file — a tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wax — to grow
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fan — to cool the air

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