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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.

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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: mark · mug · cold · wax · craft · club · stick · saw

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mug — a cup
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mark — a grade
  16. craft — a skill
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mug — a face
  21. craft — boats
  22. club — a group
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. club — for golf

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