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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. row — a line
  10. club — a group
  11. bore — to tire
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rock — music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. track — a song
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. club — for golf

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