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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. suit — clothes
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — finally
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. craft — boats
  24. wax — for sculpting

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