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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · wax · track · jam · bore · root · date · pop

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. track — to keep track
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. track — a path
  6. root — of a word
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pop — soda
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pop — to visit
  12. track — a song
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — to grow
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. root — of a plant
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. root — the cause
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. date — the fruit
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pop — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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