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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fine — high quality
  7. scale — in music
  8. fine — all right
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wax — to grow
  14. scale — size or range
  15. craft — boats
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. last — finally
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. scale — for weighing

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