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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rash — a series
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wax — to grow
  8. track — a song
  9. fork — in a road
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pit — in a race
  15. track — to keep track
  16. branch — a division
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pound — to hit hard

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