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

Word bank: fork · wax · deal · race · land · file · face · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fork — in a road
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. face — part of the head
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wax — to grow
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. race — a contest
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. race — humankind
  21. face — to confront
  22. file — a document
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. land — ground

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