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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: racket · mark · bay · wax · present · craft · shower · scale

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. shower — to wash
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mark — a trace
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mark — a grade
  18. shower — rain
  19. scale — size or range
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. scale — in music
  24. present — a gift

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