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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lie — to recline
  3. scale — in music
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. craft — a skill
  7. scale — size or range
  8. craft — boats
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — to shout
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wax — to grow
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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