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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: craft · wax · kick · land · straw · bear · scale · dip

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. kick — in football
  5. scale — size or range
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wax — to grow
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. land — ground
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — in music
  15. craft — boats
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. land — to come down
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. kick — with a leg

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