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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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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 · fork · wax · fine · rock · pound · nail · clip

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fine — all right
  6. rock — music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. clip — to cut
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. clip — a video
  20. craft — a skill
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fork — a garden tool

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