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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lean — thin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a match
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fall — the season
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. deal — to handle
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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