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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · craft · board · tube · mine · fall · racket · wax

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. tube — a container
  10. board — to get on
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. craft — boats
  18. tube — the underground
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mine — for digging

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