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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: fork · rush · tube · wax · clip · rash · nail · key

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. clip — a video
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. key — in music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fork — in a road
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tube — a container
  24. rush — a thrill

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