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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. file — a tool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bank — for money
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hand — help
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. bank — of a river
  22. file — a document
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bank — for money

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