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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tear — from crying
  3. track — a song
  4. bore — to tire
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. track — a path
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — a trail

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