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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. net — for catching
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — after costs
  10. track — to keep track
  11. clip — a video
  12. mate — a partner
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. net — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — to breed
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — for paper
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rock — music

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