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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — to grow
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. track — a song
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. track — a path
  15. branch — a division
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cold — an illness
  20. track — to keep track
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. foot — part of the body

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