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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. court — for sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of a king
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cap — a hat
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wax — to grow

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