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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. kid — to tease
  7. present — the time now
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. kid — child
  10. field — a subject
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. craft — boats
  13. band — a ring
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. present — there
  16. field — for sport
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. present — a gift
  21. band — a music group
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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