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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. last — final
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. shower — rain
  10. row — a line
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — to grow
  16. staff — employees
  17. row — to paddle
  18. shower — to wash
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. last — to go on
  22. craft — a skill
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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