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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rash — a series
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rock — a stone
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spring — of water
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. branch — a division
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spring — a coil
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wax — in the ear

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