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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: cue · rock · saw · craft · pop · kid · row · wax

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — to grow
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cue — a signal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. row — a line
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. saw — the tool
  11. craft — boats
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pop — to visit
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pop — soda
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pop — music

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