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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 124 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. suit — in cards
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. tube — a container
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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