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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bound — certain
  7. file — a document
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. file — a tool
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bound — obliged
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mate — a partner
  15. field — a subject
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — for sport
  18. bound — tied together
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — to grow
  23. field — farmland
  24. can — to be able to

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