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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. drill — army training
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. straw — dry grass
  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