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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wax — to grow
  4. scale — size or range
  5. track — to keep track
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a path
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. scale — in music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. drill — army training
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. track — a song
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. drill — a practice
  23. deal — to handle
  24. prune — to trim

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