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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tube — a container
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wake — a trail
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. rule — government
  13. track — a song
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rule — a law
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wax — to grow
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. drill — army training

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