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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — to grow
  5. field — for sport
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. ground — a position
  11. field — farmland
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. field — a subject
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — a series
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — hasty
  22. ground — the earth
  23. squash — to crush
  24. safe — a strongbox

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