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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.

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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: cell · roll · bear · craft · pound · drill · club · wax

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pound — a weight
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cell — a phone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. craft — boats
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. drill — army training
  12. bear — the animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. roll — a list
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. club — for golf
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. club — a group
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pound — for dogs

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