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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mug — a face
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fall — the season
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. face — to confront
  13. mug — to rob
  14. shower — rain
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mug — a cup
  18. craft — a skill
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. face — to point toward
  24. deal — to handle

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