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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. wax — to grow
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. swing — in golf
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. swing — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stem — to come from
  19. track — to keep track
  20. plane — a tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. deal — to handle

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