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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ball — a great time
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. craft — boats
  8. tear — from crying
  9. current — electric
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ball — a dance
  12. current — happening now
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. current — of water
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — a skill
  19. deal — to handle
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wax — in the ear

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