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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wax — to grow
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rock — music
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. track — a path
  13. face — to point toward
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. spring — of water
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spring — the season
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — to shout
  23. face — to confront
  24. rock — to move gently

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