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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: toast · wax · club · pitcher · craft · current · fork · date

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — boats
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. toast — bread
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wax — to grow
  15. current — of water
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. club — for golf
  19. current — electric
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. current — happening now
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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