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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wax — to grow
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — to come down
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. land — a country
  12. plane — a tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tube — the underground
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — ground
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mark — a trace
  20. sharp — clever
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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