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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. craft — boats
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ground — a position
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. last — final
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — to go on
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bear — the animal
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. perch — the fish

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