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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · field · tube · key · craft · mine · prune · wax

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kid — to tease
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. key — in music
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. field — for sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kid — child
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. key — for a lock
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. craft — boats
  21. field — a subject
  22. tube — the underground
  23. field — farmland
  24. key — the most important part

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