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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rash — a series
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fork — to eat with

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