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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. game — a match
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. craft — boats
  11. season — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. game — wild animals
  24. craft — a handicraft

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