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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stick · lash · fork · wax · spell · field · mine · bat

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. field — a subject
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — for sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. field — farmland
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mine — for digging
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spell — letters

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