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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rock — music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. craft — boats
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chest — a box
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pop — soda
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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