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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bank — for money
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. kick — in football
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bank — for money
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pit — in a race
  24. kick — a thrill

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