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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. bore — to tire
  6. shower — rain
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pop — soda
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. shower — to wash
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pop — music
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bore — to drill
  24. plane — a tool

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