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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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