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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bore — to drill
  4. fork — in a road
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — in sport
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. net — after costs
  18. chest — a box
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — shares
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — gave birth

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