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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. file — a tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wax — to grow
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wound — an injury
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pop — to visit
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. file — a document
  17. fine — all right
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fine — high quality
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pop — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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