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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. craft — boats
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fall — the season
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wax — to grow
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stock — goods
  19. drill — army training
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fall — to drop
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stock — shares

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