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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cap — of ice
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mug — a face
  10. ground — the earth
  11. craft — boats
  12. ground — a position
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. drill — the tool

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