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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 · roll · craft · degree · wax · safe · sharp · row

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. degree — from a university
  4. craft — a skill
  5. roll — a cake
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wax — to grow
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mate — a friend
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. roll — a list
  19. sharp — clever
  20. craft — boats
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. row — a line
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. degree — an amount

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