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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. track — a path
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. track — a song
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — to keep track
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — employees
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. roll — a list

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