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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wax — to grow
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. root — of a word
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — boats
  8. scale — in music
  9. cell — in biology
  10. track — a song
  11. root — of a plant
  12. present — the time now
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cell — a phone
  17. track — to keep track
  18. present — there
  19. scale — size or range
  20. present — a gift
  21. root — the cause
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wax — for sculpting

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