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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. craft — boats
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — a face
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. mug — to rob
  12. press — newspapers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. press — a publisher
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. press — to push
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — employees
  24. wax — for sculpting

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