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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spell — letters
  11. bank — of a river
  12. swing — music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bank — for money
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — to grow
  20. craft — boats
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — moving air

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