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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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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: bowl · stand · wax · wind · dip · fork · drill · bear

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. drill — army training
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wind — moving air
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wind — to turn a key

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