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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. season — of the year
  10. lean — thin
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — a path
  20. lean — to bend
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. board — a committee
  24. rush — a thrill

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