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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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468
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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fork — in a road
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wound — an injury
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — for dogs
  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