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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 120 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — the cause
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. track — a path
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. root — of a word
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. ball — a round shape

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