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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. last — to go on
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. spell — magic
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spell — letters
  10. pound — a weight
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. last — final
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — finally
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. kick — in football
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wax — to grow

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