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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fall — the season
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. band — a music group
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. land — a country
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. kick — in football
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — to drop
  19. land — ground
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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