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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. track — a path
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pop — soda
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. swing — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. tear — from crying
  11. object — a thing
  12. tear — from crying
  13. track — a song
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pop — music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. content — happy
  24. bear — the animal

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