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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chest — of your body
  4. present — a gift
  5. track — a song
  6. chest — a box
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wax — to grow
  13. perch — the fish
  14. present — there
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stand — to bear
  21. present — the time now
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. chest — of your body

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