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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wake — a trail
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. track — a path
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wake — before a funeral

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