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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spring — the season
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — in a road
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spring — a coil
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. net — in sport
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spring — of water

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