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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 116 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
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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 · spell · sharp · court · wax · shower · pitcher · present

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. court — of law
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — there
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. court — for sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — a gift
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. craft — a skill
  18. present — the time now
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — boats
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wax — to grow
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. shower — rain

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