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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. row — a line
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. track — to keep track
  7. march — music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. row — to paddle
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. game — wild animals
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wax — to grow
  17. march — the month
  18. game — a match
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. march — the month
  22. track — a song
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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