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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. craft — a skill
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spring — a coil
  9. track — to keep track
  10. spring — of water
  11. track — a path
  12. wax — to grow
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. track — a song
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ball — a great time
  18. plane — a tool
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. file — a document
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spring — the season

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