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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. present — a gift
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. present — there
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wax — to grow
  8. row — a line
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — a tin
  11. present — the time now
  12. can — a tin
  13. row — to paddle
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. saw — the tool
  17. craft — a skill
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. craft — boats
  21. can — to be able to
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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