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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wax — to grow
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. scale — in music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bat — the animal
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bowl — a dish

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