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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mark — a trace
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. track — to keep track

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