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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. track — a song
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. track — a path
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — a line
  16. pit — in a race
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — to paddle

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