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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · fork · fan · saw · drill · game · kick · content

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. drill — a practice
  6. content — the amount
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kick — in football
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — a match
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. game — a kind of play

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