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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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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 · pound · craft · fork · race · wax · row · trunk

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. race — the arms race
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. race — humankind
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a line
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wax — to grow
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. race — a contest
  21. craft — a skill
  22. row — to paddle
  23. craft — boats
  24. ball — a round shape

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