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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: saw · staff · fork · stock · wax · club · clip · last

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. wax — to grow
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — finally
  5. clip — a video
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. last — to go on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. staff — a stick
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. club — a group
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stock — shares
  19. last — final
  20. saw — the tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. stock — goods
  23. staff — employees
  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