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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — final
  4. spring — of water
  5. last — to go on
  6. craft — boats
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. last — finally
  21. craft — a skill
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — to grow
  24. can — a tin

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