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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. shower — rain
  4. season — in sport
  5. wax — to grow
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fork — in a road
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. drill — the tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. branch — a division
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. drill — army training
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. shower — to wash
  21. drill — a practice
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wax — for sculpting

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