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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. row — a line
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — letters
  24. arm — part of the body

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