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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spring — the season
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. craft — a skill
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spring — of water
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. craft — boats
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rest — what's left
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. spring — a coil
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bear — the animal
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rest — a break
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  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