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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rash — hasty
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. current — of water
  7. rash — a series
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. craft — boats
  12. bass — the fish
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. current — electric
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bass — low music
  22. snap — to click
  23. current — happening now
  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