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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. can — a tin
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pop — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to click
  12. can — to be able to
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wax — to grow
  15. can — a tin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. sharp — clever
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — animal skin

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