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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fine — all right
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spell — letters
  9. track — a path
  10. can — a tin
  11. snap — to click
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a song
  14. fine — high quality
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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