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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rush — hurry
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. fork — in a road
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rule — a law
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. row — a line
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rule — government
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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