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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rock — music
  3. track — a path
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bass — low music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. drill — a practice
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. drill — army training
  23. fork — in a road
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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