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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. bore — to drill
  6. club — a group
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bore — to tire
  10. club — for golf
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — the arms race
  16. tear — from crying
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fork — a garden tool

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