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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wax — to grow
  5. craft — boats
  6. spring — a coil
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — happening now
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. current — of water
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. current — electric
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spring — of water
  23. rash — a series
  24. temple — a place of worship

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