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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: spell · lie · tear · nail · file · march · fork · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. march — the month
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spell — letters
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. march — music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. file — a document
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a line of people
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wax — to grow
  19. file — a tool
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lie — to recline

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