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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 · land · wax · fall · club · field · object · march

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. object — a thing
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — to grow
  6. object — to protest
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — a country
  10. object — an aim
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. club — for dancing
  14. march — the month
  15. field — farmland
  16. land — ground
  17. fall — to drop
  18. club — for golf
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. club — a group
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. land — to come down

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