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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — soda
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bound — tied together
  6. march — the month
  7. charge — a price
  8. craft — boats
  9. pop — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wax — to grow
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bound — obliged
  15. charge — electricity
  16. staff — employees
  17. lie — to recline
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. march — music
  20. bound — certain
  21. charge — in control
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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