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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. face — to confront
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. track — a song
  9. stock — goods
  10. track — to keep track
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. face — to point toward

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