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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 124 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. land — a country
  3. bass — low music
  4. craft — boats
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. band — a music group
  8. suit — in cards
  9. land — ground
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ground — crushed
  12. suit — clothes
  13. ground — a position
  14. land — to come down
  15. ground — the earth
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. suit — to fit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. press — to push
  22. band — a ring
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bass — the instrument

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