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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. track — to keep track
  3. foot — a measure
  4. track — a song
  5. object — an aim
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wake — a trail
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spring — the season
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. bat — the animal
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. foot — the bottom

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