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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 116 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: can · craft · straw · spell · wax · row · net · present

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. net — after costs
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. present — a gift
  9. wax — to grow
  10. net — for catching
  11. present — the time now
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. present — there
  14. can — to be able to
  15. craft — boats
  16. spell — letters
  17. net — in sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spell — magic
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. row — to paddle
  22. spell — a short time
  23. row — a line
  24. can — a tin

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