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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 124 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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rest — a break
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. current — of water
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. current — electric
  9. band — a music group
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — to grow
  12. craft — a skill
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. craft — boats
  16. court — of law
  17. current — happening now
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. court — of a king
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. band — a ring
  24. rest — what's left

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