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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 124 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — after costs
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. net — for catching
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bark — to shout
  17. craft — boats
  18. track — to keep track
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — an explosive

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