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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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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 · chest · present · wax · mark · deal · ruler · wound

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wax — to grow
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. present — there
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wound — an injury
  12. craft — boats
  13. present — a gift
  14. wound — an injury
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. present — the time now
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. craft — a skill
  24. ruler — for measuring

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