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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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 — to keep track
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. clip — to cut
  7. staff — employees
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wax — to grow
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — to tire
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. mouse — the animal
  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