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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — the season
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spring — a coil
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chip — for betting
  9. spring — of water
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — to eat
  14. game — a match
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the sport
  24. kid — child

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