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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fork — in a road
  7. game — a match
  8. track — to keep track
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — to go on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. last — final
  13. game — wild animals
  14. last — finally
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — a song
  19. wax — to grow
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fork — to eat with

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