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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: wound · fork · bear · snap · safe · bulb · wax · trunk

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — to grow
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bear — the animal
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. snap — to click
  22. fork — in a road
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bear — the animal

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