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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rash — a series
  7. wax — to grow
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — to drill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. march — music
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. craft — boats
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wax — in the ear

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