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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chip — for betting
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. content — happy
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — to eat
  14. march — music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. march — the month
  19. content — the amount
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stem — of a plant

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