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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. swing — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spring — of water
  13. fork — in a road
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rock — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. spring — the season
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mark — a trace

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