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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rule — government
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rule — a law
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. march — music
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — help

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