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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rest — what's left
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. craft — a skill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. wax — to grow
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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