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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. mug — to rob
  2. track — a path
  3. pop — to visit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. band — a music group
  6. pop — soda
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — a face
  9. band — a ring
  10. rash — a series
  11. mug — a cup
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. track — a song
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. sharp — clever
  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