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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wax — to grow
  4. toast — bread
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. track — a song
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. roll — a list
  15. stock — goods
  16. rule — a law
  17. bark — to shout
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rule — government
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. stock — shares

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