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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — after costs
  3. track — a path
  4. net — in sport
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. race — humankind
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. march — music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. race — a contest
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. net — for catching
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. race — the arms race

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