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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. squash — the sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. current — electric
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. current — of water
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bark — to shout
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. net — after costs
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. craft — a skill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. current — happening now
  23. craft — boats
  24. net — in sport

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