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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bass — low music
  9. present — a gift
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. present — the time now
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. present — there
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the fish
  19. face — to confront
  20. current — of water
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. current — electric
  24. wax — to grow

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