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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: face · wax · bulb · pound · staff · spring · fork · fan

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pound — a weight
  4. face — to confront
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — employees
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — of water
  24. fan — to cool the air

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