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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mine — for digging
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. scale — in music
  15. stock — shares
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stock — goods
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. craft — boats
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — there

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