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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. clip — for paper
  7. root — the cause
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spring — the season
  14. clip — to cut
  15. root — of a word
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. root — of a plant
  21. clip — a video
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. spring — of water

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