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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. track — a path
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. season — in sport
  5. date — the fruit
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. track — to keep track
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spring — of water
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. scale — in music
  13. foot — a measure
  14. season — of the year
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. scale — size or range
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — the season
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. scale — for weighing

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