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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: fork · fine · stem · pound · wax · temple · drill · saw

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pound — a weight
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. drill — the tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fine — all right
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fork — in a road
  20. drill — army training
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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