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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to click
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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