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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wax — to grow
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a song
  11. fine — all right
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. track — to keep track
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. degree — temperature
  18. track — a path
  19. pit — in a race
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fine — high quality
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fine — a penalty

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