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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. land — to come down
  3. wax — to grow
  4. craft — a skill
  5. land — ground
  6. court — of law
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. craft — boats
  11. branch — a division
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pass — a permit
  15. scale — in music
  16. court — of a king
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. court — for 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