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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: ball · stick · clip · wax · bore · game · rest · fork

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. clip — for paper
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rest — what's left
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rest — a break
  22. ball — a great time
  23. game — a match
  24. fork — to eat with

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