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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pop — soda
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fork — in a road

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