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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: present · wax · fork · stick · snap · rash · shower · sharp

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — to grow
  6. snap — to click
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. present — a gift
  9. shower — to wash
  10. present — there
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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