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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a document
  3. wound — an injury
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — a path
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — to keep track
  10. tube — the underground
  11. track — a song
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. tube — a container
  14. file — a tool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. drill — army training
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wax — to grow
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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