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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 116 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — the animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. clip — to cut
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. clip — a video
  15. track — a song
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. track — a path
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. clip — for paper

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