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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rest — what's left
  3. drill — army training
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — a practice
  6. dip — to sink
  7. track — a song
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rest — a break
  10. track — to keep track
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. staff — employees
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. calf — of the leg

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