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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fork — in a road
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — hurry
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. key — for a lock
  12. row — a line
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. craft — boats
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wax — to grow
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. key — in music

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