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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rock — music
  7. wax — to grow
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. root — of a word
  11. drill — the tool
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. root — the cause
  14. row — to paddle
  15. drill — army training
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. craft — a skill
  18. root — of a plant
  19. drill — a practice
  20. row — a line
  21. craft — boats
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. sharp — clever

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