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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. firm — a company
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. firm — steady
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. firm — decided
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fork — in a road

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