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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. can — to be able to
  7. band — a music group
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. content — the amount
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. content — happy
  19. craft — boats
  20. pit — in a race
  21. band — a ring
  22. can — a tin
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. band — a rubber band

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