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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rule — a law
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rule — government
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — of water
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wound — an injury

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