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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. track — a song
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. track — a path
  5. file — a document
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. file — a tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bore — to tire
  16. track — to keep track
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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