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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. present — the time now
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. present — a gift
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. key — in music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wound — an injury
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. present — there

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