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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spring — a coil
  4. scale — size or range
  5. current — electric
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. current — happening now
  8. shower — rain
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wax — to grow
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spring — of water
  17. current — of water
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — in music
  22. craft — boats
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. shower — to wash

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