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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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 — boats
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. rule — government
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. shower — to wash
  14. craft — a skill
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wax — in the ear
  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