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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fork — in a road
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bulb — for light
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fork — to eat with

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