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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — a song
  9. fine — all right
  10. dip — to sink
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. track — to keep track
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — to grow
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hand — help
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fine — high quality

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