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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spell — magic
  3. row — to paddle
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. row — a line
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. craft — boats
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bank — for money
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bank — for money
  22. plane — a tool
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bat — for baseball

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