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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. craft — boats
  3. face — part of the head
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ground — a position
  10. rock — a stone
  11. craft — a skill
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mate — to breed
  14. face — to point toward
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. face — to confront
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. row — a line

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