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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pop — soda
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. court — of law
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. craft — boats
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. court — for sport
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pop — to visit
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — for digging

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