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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fine — all right
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stock — goods
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wake — a trail
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stock — shares
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — help

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