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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. net — for catching
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. fork — in a road
  11. current — of water
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. current — electric
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. net — after costs
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. present — there
  24. perch — the fish

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