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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spring — a coil
  3. court — of a king
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. drill — a practice
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — a path
  9. court — for sport
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. toast — bread
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. drill — army training
  19. spring — the season
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. court — of law
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spring — of water

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