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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: mate · can · chest · pound · snap · net · wax · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mate — a partner
  7. net — for catching
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chest — of your body
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — to breed
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pound — a weight
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. can — to be able to
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. chest — a box

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