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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. row — a line
  13. tube — the underground
  14. deal — to handle
  15. net — after costs
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. tube — a container
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. row — to paddle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fork — to eat with

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