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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. roll — a list
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. drill — a practice
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. drill — army training
  10. cold — not warm
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. track — to keep track
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rock — music
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wax — to grow
  19. track — a song
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. drill — the tool
  22. track — a path
  23. rock — a stone
  24. foot — a measure

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