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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — a path
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. drill — the tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. land — ground
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bass — the fish
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. drill — army training
  20. track — a song
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — of the year
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. land — a country

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