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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. track — a song
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pop — soda
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pop — music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. file — a document
  9. court — for sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pop — to visit
  12. court — of a king
  13. land — to come down
  14. lean — to bend
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. court — of law
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. land — ground
  20. file — a tool
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. land — a country
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. track — a path

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