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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. present — a gift
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — to eat
  14. present — there
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chip — for betting
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. track — a song
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bass — low music
  24. jam — in traffic

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