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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. drill — the tool
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — to grow
  6. drill — army training
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mark — a trace
  14. drill — a practice
  15. track — a path
  16. season — of the year
  17. track — a song
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bank — of a river
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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