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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. track — to keep track
  3. row — to paddle
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wax — to grow
  6. staff — employees
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. track — a path
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. row — a line
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. track — a song
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spring — the season
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitch — completely

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