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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. can — to be able to
  3. vault — a safe
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — to grow
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tube — the underground
  8. field — a subject
  9. row — to paddle
  10. snap — to click
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fork — in a road
  14. can — a tin
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — a container
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — a tin
  20. row — a line
  21. field — for sport
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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