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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. track — a path
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wax — to grow
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bass — low music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. net — after costs
  14. shower — to wash
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bass — the fish
  17. net — in sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. net — for catching
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. track — a song
  24. shower — rain

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