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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. last — final
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wax — to grow
  5. can — to be able to
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. can — a tin
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rush — hurry
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. last — finally
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fork — in a road

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