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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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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: craft · content · foot · tube · fall · pound · perch · wax

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — the amount
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. content — happy
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wax — to grow
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fall — the season
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. perch — the fish
  23. craft — boats
  24. foot — part of the body

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