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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. club — a group
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. club — for golf
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — child
  14. press — a publisher
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. press — newspapers
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. press — to push
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kid — to tease

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