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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. current — happening now
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. current — electric
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. current — of water
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fork — in a road
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. clip — a video
  21. branch — a division
  22. clip — for paper
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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