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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. craft — a skill
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — in music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. scale — size or range
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. drill — army training
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — part of the body

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