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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. hand — help
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hand — in cards

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