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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: rash · foot · wax · deal · pop · cold · fork · cell

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. foot — a measure
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pop — music
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rash — a series
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. deal — a big deal
  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