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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 · ball · lean · bank · hand · file · season · wax

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bank — for money
  6. lean — thin
  7. season — of the year
  8. bank — of a river
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lean — to bend
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fork — in a road
  23. season — in sport
  24. fork — a garden tool

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