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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · bear · jam · wax · march · craft · wind · hand

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — in cards
  12. craft — boats
  13. wax — to grow
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mine — for digging
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bear — the animal
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. wind — moving air

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