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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. root — the cause
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wax — to grow
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fall — the season
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. staff — employees
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mug — a face
  21. vault — a safe
  22. root — of a word
  23. mug — a cup
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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