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

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chest — a box
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — a 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