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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. season — of the year
  13. track — a song
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. season — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bank — of a river
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — a path
  23. bank — for money
  24. drill — army training

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