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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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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: lie · wax · fork · mine · spell · shower · wake · saw

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. spell — letters
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lie — to recline
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. spell — magic
  21. shower — rain
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wax — for sculpting

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