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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. craft — boats
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — rain
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. field — for sport
  23. wax — to grow
  24. safe — out of danger

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