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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. staff — employees
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. staff — employees
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hand — help
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rule — a law
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — thin
  17. board — a committee
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — government
  22. board — to get on
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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