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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. degree — temperature
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. charge — a price
  11. degree — from a university
  12. net — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rush — hurry
  18. charge — in control
  19. degree — an amount
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. craft — a handicraft

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