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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bound — certain
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. craft — boats
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bound — tied together

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