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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — to grow
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. court — for sport
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tube — a container
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lean — thin
  18. craft — boats
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — a grade
  22. court — of a king
  23. craft — a skill
  24. court — of law

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