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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wake — a trail
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — soda
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bear — the animal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. club — for golf
  23. pop — music
  24. tear — from crying

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