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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. craft — a skill
  3. squash — the sport
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chip — to eat
  18. stem — to come from
  19. shower — rain
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — to wash
  24. craft — boats

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