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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. track — to keep track
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — a song
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. track — a path
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fall — the season
  11. field — for sport
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. last — final
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. field — farmland
  22. fall — to drop
  23. last — finally
  24. field — a subject

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