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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fork — in a road
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rash — a series
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. shower — to wash
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — a path
  20. shower — rain
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — in the ear

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