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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mark — a trace
  5. craft — boats
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wax — to grow
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — what's left
  11. staff — a stick
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rest — a break
  14. staff — employees
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — a grade
  18. craft — a skill
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — music
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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