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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. track — to keep track
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. track — a song
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pit — a hole
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wax — to grow
  19. plane — a tool
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mate — a friend
  24. track — a path

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