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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — a series

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