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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kick — in football
  5. file — a tool
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. file — a document
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — moving air
  16. craft — boats
  17. cue — a hint
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cue — a signal

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