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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ground — a position
  3. present — the time now
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bear — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. season — in sport
  8. cell — a phone
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cell — in biology
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wax — to grow
  15. season — of the year
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. ground — the earth
  23. craft — boats
  24. bear — the animal

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