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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. tube — the underground
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cue — for pool
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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