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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. object — a thing
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — the animal
  6. track — a path
  7. cap — a hat
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — finally
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. last — final
  23. track — a song
  24. mouse — the animal

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