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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. march — music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — the underground
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. season — in sport
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — a container
  23. march — the month
  24. wax — for sculpting

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