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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mark — a trace
  5. track — a song
  6. wind — moving air
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — in sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. swing — music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. track — to keep track
  17. swing — in golf
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a path
  20. season — of the year
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mark — a grade
  24. straw — a straw man

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