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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tube — a container
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. track — a song
  7. wax — to grow
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fall — the season
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. club — a group
  12. root — the cause
  13. tube — the underground
  14. root — of a word
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. net — after costs
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. track — a path
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. root — of a plant

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