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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.

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: fork · tear · wound · lie · roll · game · wax · saw

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wound — an injury
  8. game — a match
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tear — from crying
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wax — in the ear

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