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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — a path
  5. ground — a position
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chest — a box
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. row — a line
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. net — for catching
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. track — a song
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. net — after costs
  22. mug — a face
  23. chest — of your body
  24. row — a quarrel

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