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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. present — there
  5. mate — a friend
  6. net — in sport
  7. bore — to drill
  8. staff — employees
  9. bore — to tire
  10. track — a song
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — the time now
  15. mate — to breed
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wax — to grow
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. present — a gift

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