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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — a subject
  8. craft — boats
  9. saw — the tool
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. current — happening now
  13. clip — a video
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — farmland
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. clip — to cut
  20. craft — a skill
  21. clip — for paper
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. perch — the fish

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