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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — in a road
  6. track — a path
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. sharp — clever
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. spring — of water
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. spring — a coil
  18. track — a song
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. roll — a list

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