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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — after costs
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. net — for catching
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. shower — rain
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hand — help
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. fork — in a road

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