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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 120 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: ruler · cold · can · wax · board · fan · tear · fork

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. can — a tin
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cold — an illness
  14. board — a committee
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fork — in a road
  24. tear — to rip

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