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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — rain
  6. rash — a series
  7. track — a song
  8. pop — music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — soda
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. track — a path
  16. wax — to grow
  17. plane — a tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ground — a position
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pop — to visit

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