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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 116 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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. last — final
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — finally
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. last — to go on
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. lean — thin
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. track — a path
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fork — in a road
  21. track — a song
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wax — to grow

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