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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. spell — letters
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. craft — a skill
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. spell — magic
  17. drill — army training
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — to confront
  20. craft — boats
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — a match
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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