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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 120 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: racket · content · craft · spring · plane · pound · stick · wax

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — the season
  12. content — happy
  13. wax — to grow
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. craft — a skill
  23. content — the amount
  24. spring — of water

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