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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a match
  6. kid — child
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pop — soda
  12. wax — to grow
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fall — the season
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  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