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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. march — music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. kick — in football
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. key — in music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — the tool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fork — in a road
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wax — to grow
  23. saw — the tool
  24. key — for a lock

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