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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. craft — boats
  3. key — in music
  4. hand — help
  5. spell — letters
  6. key — the most important part
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. craft — a skill
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. can — a tin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stand — to bear
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hand — in cards

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