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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. face — to confront
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. branch — a division
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rock — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. snap — to click

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