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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 120 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bark — to shout
  4. shower — rain
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. fork — in a road
  12. shower — to wash
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. staff — a stick
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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