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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rash — a series
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — certain
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. current — electric
  11. bound — obliged
  12. roll — a cake
  13. track — a song
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rash — hasty
  16. track — to keep track
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. roll — a list
  24. calf — a young 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