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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. craft — boats
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wax — to grow
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bark — to shout

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