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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wax — to grow
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. scale — in music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. craft — a skill
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — magic
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. spell — letters

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