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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. field — a subject
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — a song
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. drill — army training
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bear — the animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. track — to keep track
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wax — to grow
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. drill — a practice
  21. field — farmland
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fine — all right

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