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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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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: fork · key · wax · mouse · saw · prune · club · row

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. key — the most important part
  8. club — a group
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. club — for golf
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. key — in music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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