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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — of the year
  10. mark — a trace
  11. season — in sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — to bend
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cold — not warm

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