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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. rule — government
  4. craft — boats
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. present — there
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spring — of water
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spring — the season
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — a law
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wound — an injury

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