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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. file — a tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. track — a path
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. current — happening now
  8. shower — rain
  9. track — a song
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mine — for digging
  12. file — a document
  13. shower — to wash
  14. file — a line of people
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. current — of water
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. current — electric
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wake — a trail

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