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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wax — to grow
  6. object — an aim
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rash — a series
  9. track — a song
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lean — thin
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. object — a thing
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — to keep track
  20. object — to protest
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. lean — to bend
  24. track — a path

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