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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — a gift
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. race — a contest
  9. present — there
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. craft — boats
  12. wax — to grow
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. present — the time now
  17. wound — an injury
  18. suit — in cards
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. suit — to fit

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