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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: roll · kick · mine · fork · jam · mate · season · wax

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wax — to grow
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. season — of the year
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. roll — a list
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — in sport
  15. kick — in football
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. jam — a tight spot

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