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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ground — crushed
  6. club — for dancing
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. track — a song
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ground — the earth
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ground — a position
  24. mate — a partner

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