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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. present — a gift
  3. craft — a skill
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hand — help
  18. key — in music
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hand — in cards
  21. present — there
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. swing — music

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