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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. can — a tin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. craft — a skill
  9. capital — a city
  10. wax — to grow
  11. track — a path
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wound — an injury
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. capital — money
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — the season
  23. wound — an injury
  24. craft — boats

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