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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. root — of a word
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. firm — a company
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fine — all right
  22. firm — decided
  23. root — of a plant
  24. firm — steady

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