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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — a skill
  4. current — happening now
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. craft — boats
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. current — of water
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rock — music
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — electric
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chair — a professorship

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