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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 116 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: fork · board · safe · bear · scale · cold · drill · wax

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. drill — the tool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. drill — a practice
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cold — an illness
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wax — to grow
  19. scale — in music
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. drill — army training
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — size or range

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