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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: wax · board · chest · sharp · ground · cabinet · racket · craft

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. ground — crushed
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chest — of your body
  9. board — to get on
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — a committee
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chest — a box
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. craft — boats
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ground — a position
  24. sharp — clever

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