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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 120 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: pit · root · tear · fork · scale · march · wax · mouse

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wax — to grow
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. root — of a plant
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. root — the cause
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. march — music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. march — the month
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. root — of a word
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. scale — size or range

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