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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bass — low music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. craft — boats
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bass — the fish
  12. key — in music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bear — the animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. key — the most important part
  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