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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. clip — a video
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. face — to confront
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. season — in sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. march — music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. march — the month
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — for paper
  24. craft — boats

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