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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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