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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · craft · pound · temple · mine · wax · lean · season

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. season — in sport
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lean — thin
  9. mine — for digging
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. craft — boats
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. season — of the year
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lean — to bend

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