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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. craft — a skill
  8. present — a gift
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. present — there
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stock — shares
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. present — the time now

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