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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pound — a weight
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bound — obliged
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — goods
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. track — a song
  13. bound — certain
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wax — to grow
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stock — shares
  24. track — a path

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