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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wax — to grow
  7. race — humankind
  8. charge — a price
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. craft — a skill
  11. plane — a tool
  12. craft — boats
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. club — for golf
  15. race — a contest
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. club — a group
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fork — in a road
  23. charge — in control
  24. craft — a handicraft

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