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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lean — thin
  3. roll — a list
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. band — a music group
  8. season — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — to handle
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. lean — to bend
  16. roll — a cake
  17. spring — the season
  18. wax — to grow
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a rubber band

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