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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — to bend
  4. deal — to handle
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mine — for digging
  12. last — to go on
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a ring
  16. lean — thin
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. band — a music group
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. can — a tin
  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