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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. row — a line
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wax — to grow
  7. spring — the season
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — a path
  13. mug — a face
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bore — to tire
  20. chest — a box
  21. lie — to recline
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wax — in the ear

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