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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ball — a dance
  5. board — a committee
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. board — to get on
  8. pop — music
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — to grow
  15. drill — army training
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spring — the season
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pop — to visit

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