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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. kid — child
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. march — music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. craft — boats
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. scale — size or range

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