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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. craft — boats
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. field — for sport
  11. wax — to grow
  12. field — a subject
  13. bound — certain
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. file — a tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. craft — a skill
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. leaves — to go away

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