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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. net — after costs
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. march — the month
  5. field — a subject
  6. craft — boats
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wax — to grow
  14. net — in sport
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. net — for catching
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — farmland
  20. march — music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bark — to shout
  23. field — for sport
  24. rock — music

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