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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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 — to eat with
  2. chip — to eat
  3. branch — a division
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fine — all right
  6. file — a tool
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. file — a document
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lean — thin
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wax — in the ear
  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