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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mark — a trace
  4. band — a ring
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mark — a grade
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. march — the month
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mark — to pay attention

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