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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. hand — help
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. dip — to sink
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. track — to keep track
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bat — for baseball

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