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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — to grow
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. band — a music group
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. band — a ring
  9. march — the month
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — music
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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