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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — for light
  3. current — electric
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. current — happening now
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. net — for catching
  12. current — of water
  13. craft — boats
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. net — in sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wax — to grow
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. branch — a division
  21. craft — a skill
  22. net — after costs
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. sharp — clever

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