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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — a country
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. staff — employees
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — a tin
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. land — ground
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — a box
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. face — to confront
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — to be able to
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. face — part of the head

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