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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 124 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. tear — from crying
  7. firm — a company
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. club — for golf
  10. firm — steady
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fork — in a road
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. key — for a lock
  17. tube — a container
  18. tear — to rip
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. club — for dancing
  22. firm — decided
  23. club — a group
  24. tube — the underground

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